Poker Night  Rookie Style
by dcj
Summary: After realizing that they might never get invited to Poker Night, the Rookies decide to have one of their own.
1. Chapter 1

This is just a short one, originally envisioned as a one-shot, but looks to be about 3 chapters and maybe an epilogue. I wasn't sure exactly which characters to choose for this because it's mostly about the whole rookie crew; though it wouldn't be my story if there weren't at least a little McSwarek Love.

Disclaimer: I own nothing Rookie Blue

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><p>Dov and Chris had just walked into the station and were headed straight to the locker room to get ready. As soon as they opened the door, they could hear plans being made.<p>

"OK, Jer. Are we starting the usual time?" Sam asked.

"Yep. Just be there any time before eight."

"Is everyone coming this week? I hate it when I can only take money from some of you." Shaw joked.

"I don't think so buddy." Sam contradicted. "I'm feeling pretty lucky."

"Just because McNally finally broke it off with Callaghan does not mean your luck is changing brother."

_It's definitely a good sign though. _"You're hilarious."

"I am; aren't I?" Shaw bragged.

His two friends just shook their heads.

"Poker night again, sirs?" Diaz asked.

"It certainly is, so could you convince McNally to be ready to give Sam a little extra TLC tomorrow." Shaw teased.

Sam was glaring at his friend while trying to hold back the smile that threatened at the thought of Andy giving him some extra loving care.

Dov grinned knowingly; Andy didn't need any convincing when it came to caring about Swarek.

"Yes, sir!" He agreed happily, before adding, "And now that we're not rookies anymore, when do we get to come over and play?"

"I'm flattered that you want a play date Epstein," Jerry mocked. "But, I don't think you're quite ready to deal with the big boys just yet."

"Why not?"

"Do you even know how to play?" Oliver asked doubtfully.

Dov looked sheepish; he did watch it on TV sometimes but that was about the extent of it.

"That's what we thought."

"OK…so we learn how to play. Then can we come?" He responded eagerly.

"You have to be able to meet the minimum." Jerry advised, knowing full well how little a rookie made.

"And be prepared to lose it all." Sam warned.

That's when Chris started to look a little concerned; he really didn't have the extra money to lose. So if he was ever going to go play, he wanted to at least have a chance to win something.

Oliver noticed the look of doubt on Chris' face. "Yeah…and I don't think we really need another reason to mock you just yet. When you stop making rookie mistakes, then we'll talk. For now, you better just concentrate on being able to do the job without one of us holding your hand before you worry about poker night."

The older officers walked out joking to themselves about never letting a rookie sit at the table. "Jerry might like it though." Sam suggested. "At least he wouldn't be the worst player there anymore."

"Funny."

Dov looked at Chris as soon as the door closed. "I don't know about you, but I want to be ready when they finally let us play."

"Don't you mean if…you heard them, Dov; I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon."

"Yeah well, we need to at least be ready if and when they do."

"What are we going to do?"

"What we always do?"

Chris looked at him questioningly.

"We get the girls to help us." Dov answered, as if it was completely obvious.

They exited the locker room and waited outside hoping that they hadn't missed the other rookies. They also hoped that for once Andy was on time so they'd have a few minutes to talk before parade.

It wasn't long before Traci and Andy came out, laughing about something that Leo had done the night before. As soon as they spotted their fellow rookies, they could tell by the looks on the boys' faces that something was up.

"All right, what did you do now?" Traci asked.

"We didn't do anything." They said in unison.

"You have that look."

"What look?" Dov answered innocently.

"The 'we need the girls to bail us out' look." Andy clarified.

"We do need your help." Chris explained while the girls nodded expectantly. "But we didn't do anything wrong."

Now that was a surprise. "What do you need help with then?"

"It's Poker Night and we want to get invited."

The girls just laughed. "Like that's going to happen. They can barely tolerate you two at work, what makes you think they're going to willingly invite you to hang out with them at Poker Night."

"They're not."

"Then why are you worried about it?"

"We figure that sooner or later they'll ask us or maybe they'll need a fill in sometime, you know as a test run to see if they might eventually want us to join." Chris explained patiently.

"And if they do, we want to be ready." Dov finished.

"What does that have to do with us?"

"We want to practice."

"So practice."

"Well, you know how it is; when you're a rookie no one invites you to anything. So we figured maybe we could start our own Poker Night just us rookies. And with practice, we'll get better."

"Yeah, but what's in it for us?" Andy wondered.

"You get better too."

"Will we ever get invited to Poker Night?" The girls knew the likelihood of that was nonexistent but they wanted to make sure the boys realized it too.

"We can invite you when it's at our house." They suggested uncertainly.

"Do you really think they'd even let you." Traci doubted.

"Probably not."

"Then why should we?" Andy wanted to know.

"Come on…the brotherhood?"

"If that's your argument, you're failing right there." Traci argued. "You're little brotherhood is hard enough to break into on the job. I'm guessing it's damn near impossible when it comes to Poker Night."

The boys knew they were right but they weren't giving up. "Come on. We're in this together; we're supposed to help each other out. If nothing else, we'll have some drinks and have fun. Maybe we'll like it so much, we won't want to join their poker night."

Now that was an argument the girls could get into. They had girls' night, but another night just for the rookies could be fun too. After exchanging a look of agreement, Traci answered for both of them. "Fine…we're in."

"Great so when do you want us to come over, Andy?"

"What? You plan a Poker Night and I have to host? You're pushing your luck." She cautioned.

"Come on Andy; you always make the best food when we all get together." Chris tried.

"You need the help and you want me to do all the work?"

"Please." They both put their arms around her, trying to butter her up.

"Fine, but I need some time to get groceries, and if I have to put up with a hung over Sam, I will not be in the mood tomorrow night." She explained. "So I'll get the supplies then and we can have it on Friday night. We're all off on Saturday so it'll work out perfectly. We won't have to worry about work after our first trial run just in case you two get out of hand."

"Yes!" Dov cheered. "Chris, you let Gail know."

"Let Gail know what?" The blonde asked as she walked up.

"The guys want to learn to play poker because they want to be ready if and when they ever get invited to the infamous Poker Night."

"You don't seriously think that's going to happen anytime soon?" Gail mocked.

"Maybe…maybe not, but we're not about to look like idiots when we finally get the chance. So we need to practice. Are you in or are you out?" Dov proposed.

"Fine…I'm in, but do either of you even know how to play?"

"A little," Dov admitted. "But really, I was hoping one of you girls did."

"I can get a rule book." Chris offered happily, having already planned to stop at the library on the way home.

All the other rookies rolled their eyes; they were pretty sure he would have at least half of it memorized by the time Friday rolled around. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us. Maybe someone should check out the rules on the internet too." Traci recommended.

"And we are **not** using real money either; I don't have anything to lose." Andy declared. "I can get my dad's poker chips for show, but we have to figure out what the winner gets."

"Yeah." Traci agreed. "We need some motivation. How about big winner of the night gets drinks at the Penny the next time, or maybe a shift's worth of paperwork? We'll have to think of something."

Before anyone could think of anything appropriate, Noelle came up to herd all of them to parade. She held Traci back though. "What was that all about?"

"Dov and Chris think they'll be invited to play poker in our lifetime so they want to be ready. Friday night we're going to have Poker Night at Andy's so they can practice."

"Can I come?" Noelle wondered.

Traci was totally shocked; no TO had ever willingly asked to hang out with the rookies before. "Seriously?"

"Hell ya; those idiots never invite me and it sucks. Last month, they were down a guy; he called Swarek and said he couldn't make it while I was standing right there. It was short notice and they were worried that they wouldn't be able to find a replacement. I told them I could come, but they didn't even look at me twice. They actually called a guy in from the 17th to come and play. Can you believe that?"

Traci nodded her head; she could definitely believe that. As much as the department tried to deny it, the chauvinistic attitude was still alive and well at the 15th; although Noelle **was** known for putting the boys in their place and debunking the myths of the weaker sex. "Maybe they just don't want you kicking ass like you did at retrain."

Noelle grinned at the thought; she loved putting their preconceived notions to the test. "Could be, but I'm pretty sure it's more like some boys club thing; drives me crazy either way."

"I'll let Andy know you're coming. Are you any good? Cause none of us really knows what we're doing."

"Story of my life, so what the hell. I refuse to sit beside Epstein though; that boy has got to learn to rein it in once in a while."

Traci laughed. "I'll make sure he's on the opposite side of the table."

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><p>When Friday finally came, Andy spent the morning exchanging texts from everybody confirming that they'd be there, and Sam couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Though Andy often responded to her phone during the day she wasn't generally on it that much. He didn't really think it was his place to ask so he was hoping she might just tell him. <em>But what if it was something he didn't want to know? What if she met someone?<em>

By Friday afternoon Andy was still trying to reach her father. She and Sam had been so busy on Wednesday that she had gotten home late. When she finally arrived at her apartment, she had just enough time to grab her recipes and make her grocery list before taking a quick shower and heading to bed with plans to call her Dad first thing in the morning.

Then on Thursday she hit the snooze one too many times and had to practically run to work before enjoying the privilege of dealing with a tired and cranky Swarek all day long. Between having to drive all day and his nonstop complaints about his self-induced pain, she had forgotten all about making the call. By the time she got home from grocery shopping and pre-made a few of the snacks, she decided that all she wanted was a hot bath. When she finally flopped into bed, she realized that it was too late to phone.

So first thing that morning she started calling him on her walk to work. She had left him a few messages, but he had not returned any of her calls. She had to admit that she was a little worried, but nothing like she would have been a few months ago. Her dad had been sober for a while now so she was more confident in giving him the benefit of the doubt. Still she wondered where he could be.

It was already mid afternoon and she had still not heard back, so she decided to put the word out to everyone that they still needed the chips. A text came back quickly from Gail letting everyone know that she had called her brother and she would be able to borrow his chips for the night. They were all set.


	2. Chapter 2

Even though this story is mostly about friendship and camaraderie, I'm still trying to figure out how to get a little more than implied McSwarek love involved, but I haven't quite come up with it yet. Hope you continue to enjoy it…let me know.

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><p>Sam headed into the locker room at the end of shift; it had felt like a long day as he spent way too much time wondering what Andy was up to. She hadn't said a word about her time on the phone so he still had no idea what was going on. Now he just wanted to take a shower and head to the Penny for a drink.<p>

When he walked in, Oliver and Jerry were already in the room. It didn't take them long to agree that they would all meet at the bar as soon as they were ready. Jerry left first, though he had a few things to clear up before he could meet the other two over there.

Oliver followed Sam over to the Penny in his own car, and they took up their usual seats. Within an hour, Jerry joined them. They were watching a game on TV and talking about nothing in particular when Shaw brought up their missing member. "Did either of you talk to Noelle?" Oliver wondered. "Is she coming later or what?"

They all shook their heads; they were surprised she wasn't there yet, but truthfully none of them had actually talked directly with her. They tended to just assume she would be there not often bothering to ask.

They looked around the bar then noting that Noelle wasn't the only one missing; it seemed to be a fairly quiet night. That's when they realized that the rookies weren't there either. This was new; it was a Friday night before their day off, normally they would have been tearing the place up till late into the night. It was generally a night everyone enjoyed.

Before they took their Dex-imposed break, Jerry would make sure to send Traci at least one apple martini to garner some of her attention. If he was lucky and Leo was at her mother's, he might get invited to spend the night. Dov would get liberal with his tab and Oliver would take full advantage of his former rookie's generosity. And though Sam always enjoyed seeing Andy, he enjoyed the night before her day off the most; he loved watching her have fun and let loose, and he was hoping that one of these days he'd get the nerve to join her or at the very least offer her a ride home.

"Where's your girlfriend, Jer?" Sam taunted, knowing that Jerry and Traci were trying to reconnect. Though he did have an ulterior motive as well; he was hoping to find out where Andy was at the same time.

"I could ask you the same thing, Sammy." Jerry countered.

Sam glared back; everyone knew that he had it bad for Andy and they could never resist teasing him about it, especially now that she and Luke had called it quits. He still hadn't made his move though and no one could figure out why so they enjoyed pushing his buttons whenever they could.

"Ha ha. Seriously, what's up? Is it girls' night? McNally didn't mention it but she was on her phone a lot today and now they're both AWOL."

"I don't think so; I can call though." Jerry suggested. "…unless you want to call McNally."

"Dial." Sam grumbled.

Traci was already sitting at Andy's table when her phone rang. Chris and Gail had just arrived having brought Dov with them. Noelle was getting the table all set up, while Andy was plating the food she had prepared.

Dov was already bouncing off the walls and they hadn't even started playing yet.

"Shhh." Traci ordered before looking at the call display. "…it's Jerry."

"They're such girls." Noelle commented. "I bet they're all sitting at the Penny and it's driving them crazy wondering where you guys are."

"And you." Dov added.

"Yeah, maybe." She conceded. "But I'm pretty sure it's more about Nash and McNally if Jerry and Sam are involved."

Andy's face went beet red as the rest heartily agreed.

After Traci glared again and everyone quieted down, she answered. "Hey, Jerry."

"Where are you?"

"Wow, not even a hello. I'm fine thanks and you?" She retorted, avoiding the question.

"Hello…I'm fine too. Where are you?"

She smiled a little at the concern she thought she could hear in his voice. "I'm just hanging out at Andy's why?"

"Is it girls' night?" She usually told him ahead of time, but they hadn't talked a lot lately.

She held the phone away and yelled. "Epstein, Diaz…is it girls night?"

"Hell, no!" The two men yelled back in their most manly voices.

"What are you guys doing?" Jerry wondered; he was even more curious now that he knew the guys were there as well. "You're usually at the Penny on Fridays."

Even though they couldn't hear Jerry's side of the conversation, it was obvious that he was fishing for information. "Hey…what happens at Rookie Night stays at Rookie Night." Gail yelled in the background, causing the room to erupt into laughter.

And now he knew that Peck was with them too. "Are all the rooks there?"

"Yeah…Me, Andy, Gail, Chris, Dov, uh…"

Noelle started waving her hands at Traci in an effort to stop her from telling Jerry that she was there; she wasn't sure if she wanted them to know. Sure those guys never invited her to Poker Night, but they might not let her live it down if they found out she was hanging out with the rookies. It wasn't that she didn't want to be there; she did. She just didn't want the grief and once those three got something on you they didn't let it go easily.

"Is someone else with you?" He asked, starting to put the pieces together. "Traci, is Noelle there too?"

Traci motioned to Noelle that Jerry had guessed. "Yes she is."

She looked at Noelle and mouthed 'sorry', but Noelle didn't seem too upset so she just let it go at that.

"Well then it can't be considered Rookie Night." Jerry argued. "So what are you doing and why aren't you here?"

"Nothing you need to worry about." Traci assured before covering the mouthpiece and bidding, "don't start without me."

"I've got to go Jerry." And then she hung up before he had a chance to respond. _Start what?_

"Well?" Sam asked.

"They're all over at McNally's house, but Traci wouldn't tell me what's going on."

"All of the rookies?" Sam asked.

Jerry nodded.

"I'm calling Noelle to find out why she isn't here." Oliver announced. He and Zoe had had a disagreement last week about his tendency to just assume Zoe was willing to go along with plans he'd made when sometimes she wasn't even aware of them. Although he had denied it at the time, he was beginning to realize that he didn't just tend to do that at home. He was feeling more than a little guilty that they hadn't actually asked Noelle to join them.

"Don't bother, she's there too." Jerry revealed.

"What the hell?" Oliver would have never guessed that she would choose to hang out with the rookies over them.

"Call her." Jerry dared.

Oliver dialed Noelle's number. When it rang at Andy's, she shushed them all again; they were in the middle of an argument about the stakes.

"Williams." She answered.

"Noelle." Oliver addressed her, overly cheerful.

"Get to the point Shaw; I know Barber told you where I was." _Here we go._

"I thought you were **our** friend; since when did you start slumming it with the kiddies?"

"Don't make this an us and them thing." She said, shaking her head.

"I can't help it if they like me best." She bragged. _Might as well make the best of it._ "Obviously, you and Jerry weren't invited. It's a shame; I think it'll be fun." She goaded.

"What'll be fun?"

She enjoyed stringing the guys along and wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. "Sorry, Shaw. I've been sworn to secrecy."

"Come on, Noelle."

"Can't do it, Ollie. Sorry, gotta go."

He tried giving it one last ditch effort. "Wait; just tell us what you're doing and we'll leave you alone."

"Nothing you should worry that shiny little head of yours about."

The retort died on Oliver's lips as the call ended and he pulled the phone from his ear.

"Well?" Jerry wondered.

"She didn't give me anything either…except for maybe the run around. Something about having fun, her being their favorite TO and too bad she was invited and you and I weren't." He turned to look at his other friend. "Sammy, were you invited?"

Sam would have remembered being invited to Andy's house. And if and when he was, he wasn't hoping for a crowd. "Nope." He answered, shaking his head.

"Call McNally." Oliver insisted. "We know she won't say no to you."

Sam balked at the suggestion. If that was the case and she wouldn't say no, this would absolutely not be the question. Sam had wanted to call her many times, but never quite got up the nerve. Curiosity was killing him though. "Fine." He conceded.

They were just ready to deal when Andy's phone rang.

She looked down at the call display and announced. "It's Swarek."

They all laughed; they couldn't believe the lengths those guys were going to. Andy had just hit the answer key on her phone, but before she could respond Dov yelled out. "Tell him you don't have time for a booty call."

Andy blushed a deep scarlet and stuttered out her greeting. Sam couldn't help but chuckle on the other end; he could only imagine her reaction to Epstein's comment.

"Hey, McNally. How's it going?"

She smiled at the obvious amusement in his voice; she didn't have to see him to know that the dimples were making an appearance. She took a breath to try and slow her racing heart. "Fine."

"Having a good night?"

"Yes."

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" He grumbled, the humor quickly leaving his voice.

"Absolutely not." She smirked finally recovering from the not completely unwelcome thoughts Dov had inadvertently placed in her head.

"Just tell us what's going on." Sam insisted.

"Why does it matter?"

"I don't' know. I mean, we're friends right? Can't a friend want to know what another friend is doing?"

It felt good knowing that he wanted to know where she was and what she was up to, though she was hoping that it was more than 'friendly' concern. "If you must know…" She started.

Traci jumped up from the seat beside her and grabbed the phone. "None of your business, Swarek."

"Let me talk to McNally." He ordered using his TO voice.

Traci wasn't falling for it though; it was much easier to ignore when she wasn't looking him in the eye.

"No…I'm not letting you use your sweet talk on her; she's a sucker for you and we all know it." Traci grinned as the red colored Andy's cheeks again. "Now stop using your powers for evil and go hang out with your own friends."

Sam wasn't giving up. "McNally happens to be one of my friends," he replied, an idea forming in his head. "And I think it's time I paid 'my pal' a visit." She heard him pull away from the phone as he spoke to Jerry and Oliver, "Who's up for a road trip?"

Traci couldn't hear their responses, but she assumed they would just follow Sam's lead.

"Swarek, stay where you are." She commanded. "You can come over and visit 'your friend' some other night. I'm sure you'd both be much happier if she were alone when you chose to stop by." She said, echoing Sam's earlier thoughts.

Andy's mouth dropped open in shock; she couldn't believe Traci would say that not only in front of everyone at the table, but directly to Sam as well. "Traci." She reprimanded.

Gail laughed and Andy turned her glare on the blond. "What? You didn't really think you were fooling anyone did you?"

Sam just grinned as he listened to Andy's friends tease her; he had been pretty sure that she returned his feelings, but it was nice to have it confirmed by someone else. It was also all the more reason to come by. "Tell my 'friend' that I'll see her in a few." He said as he hung up.

"They're on their way over." Traci announced as soon as she set down Andy's phone.

"Seriously?" Chris complained. "They'll think we're idiots practicing like this and they don't need any more ammunition to make fun of us."

"Maybe we should just phone them back and tell them." Traci suggested. "Do you think they'll back off then?"

"Let me try." Noelle offered.

Back at the Penny, the guys had just paid their bills and we're going to head out the door to see what was going on at Andy's house when Oliver's phone rang.

"Shaw." He answered.

"Oliver, has Sammy talked you guys into coming over here?"

He tried to deny the obvious. "What? No."

Noelle wasn't convinced; they had worked together too long and she didn't have to see him to know that he wasn't telling the truth. "Give me a break; I just heard the door close and I can tell you're outside walking."

"I have to get home to Zoe and the kids." He improvised.

"I'm not sure I believe you, but if those other two stooges are still on their way over tell them to give it up. We're just playing poker, OK. You guys have your poker night and now we have ours. You never invite the rookies or me so we decided to have one of our own. That's it…end of story."

Oliver was inclined to believe her. She sounded like she was telling the truth and he knew for a fact that she would be more than happy to be invited to their poker night. "I'll tell them." He offered sincerely.

"I'm waiting." She wasn't hanging up without proof.

Noelle listened as she heard Oliver replay the words she had just spoken. Obviously she couldn't see, but the other two men were still suspicious. _Sure Epstein and Diaz had just asked about poker night, but why would Noelle willingly be hanging out with them?_ To Sam and Jerry, it just didn't make sense; they didn't realize it bothered Noelle to be left out just because she was a woman.

"Are you sure that's it?" Oliver asked at the prompting of his friends.

"That's it." She assured him.

"OK, then."

Just as Noelle was about to hang up she heard a vehicle start. "Those idiots are still coming." She mumbled.

The rookies were all a little disgruntled that the senior officers felt the need to check up on them so it took them all by surprise when Traci began to laugh. It started out as a soft chuckle, but pretty soon she was laughing so loud and so hard that she was almost doubled over.

"What's so funny?" Andy asked, completely baffled.

Traci tried to catch her breath and managed to stutter out between giggles. "They think there's something more going on than just poker."

"Obviously." Gail retorted.

"So then let's not disappoint them."

"What do you mean?" Noelle asked.

"Well since most of us are lowly rookies...and they've implied that we don't have enough money to play with the big boys, what does that leave us to bet with?" She wondered, tilting her head and lifting her eyebrows in question.

The boys were totally lost but the girls' caught on quickly and started nodding along with her. Gail and Andy began to laugh too.

"No way!" Noelle refused.

"What?" Chris asked, still clearly at a loss.

"Who's up for a little strip poker?" Traci suggested with a grin.

Dov's face lit up. "Rock and Roll Nash…Rock and Roll."


	3. Chapter 3

So here's the next chapter; I hope you smile as much reading it as I did writing it. Let me know what you think.

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><p>"Who's up for a little strip poker?" Traci suggested with a grin.<p>

Dov's face lit up. "Rock and Roll Nash…Rock and Roll."

"Take a pill, Dov." Gail quipped. "She doesn't mean for real."

Traci looked over at Dov's disappointment and had to shake her head. "Of course, not for real; we're just going to make them **think** we're playing strip poker. They think something more is going on…well like I said we wouldn't want to disappoint."

Dov, Andy and Gail were totally in and they soon had a reluctant Chris on board. Noelle was a tough sell though.

"Come on, Noelle." They encouraged together.

"I'm sure they've pulled some pranks on you over the years." Andy reminded her.

"Well of course they have, but I'm not sure I want them thinking that I would be willing to give any of you an eyeful, especially those two." She retorted, flipping her hand between Dov and Chris.

"That's what makes it fun." Traci insisted. "They'll be completely shocked."

It was obvious that Noelle was still uncertain but they could tell that she was waffling. "Don't worry. We won't let them leave without telling them the truth. Your reputation will be safe."

"I have a feeling that one night with you five and my reputation has already been shot." She moaned.

The rookie's laughed knowing she was probably right.

"What the hell." She agreed though still not quite sure why.

The resulting cheers were short lived as they all knew that Andy's house was only a few minutes away from the Penny so they had to plan fast. They each proceeded to remove or in some cases change articles of clothing. If needed, the girls scrounged some clothes from Andy so that they could look the part without showing too much. In the end, Dov was sitting only in his underwear; he could care less and was happy to be the one losing. It didn't matter really; with the exception of Noelle, the girls had already seen Dov in all his glory during their time at the academy.

Gail had on a skirt and she borrowed a camisole from Andy and was sitting with it over her bra. Andy wanted to drop either a thong or a pair of boy shorts beneath Gail's seat so it looked like she had lost them.

Gail was all for the charade, but being a Peck she had an image to maintain and she couldn't quite bring herself to go that far in front of the senior officers. She may be a fully grown adult; but she still strived for her family's approval. If her mother ever got wind of it, she would not be impressed.

"Fine. **I'll** do it." Andy relented. She ran to her room and put on a skirt and grabbed an extra pair of underwear to drop under her seat.

"Wow." Dov mouthed not quite as silently as he'd planned. He'd seen Andy in her underwear before, but never in something like that. He was about to comment further when Andy sent him a warning look. "And you can give me your cell phone right now Epstein."

She was confiscating it for the rest of the night; she was not taking any chances that he might go for a picture. He looked disappointed but mostly in himself for not thinking of it before she did. He reluctantly handed it over as the girls commended Andy for her good call.

"How come she didn't ask for your phone?" He muttered to Chris.

"Because Chris is a gentleman." Gail explained smugly, and both men knew that even if he had been considering it, Chris wouldn't dare now.

Andy proceeded to take off both her socks and drop them to the floor before removing her shirt, leaving her with only a sports bra on top.

Chris being the shy, small town boy was feeling a little self conscious, but Gail convinced him to at least take off his shirt and socks. She reminded him that it was nothing less than he wore at the pool or in her family's hot tub. Chris reddened at that thought, and Dov silently reminded himself to ask Chris about that later. Normally he would have called Chris out right then, but he was pretty sure that he wouldn't share willingly with the rest of the class when Gail was there.

Traci had a sports bra on too so she was fine wearing only that on top; in the academy they all worked out together and she had worn just that many times. Plus they had also had more than their fair share of drunken sleepovers, with everyone generally ending up in their civvies to go to sleep. Traci took off one sock and left her bottoms on. Unfortunately she had worn a thong. Maybe if she had worn boy shorts she might have taken it off, but she wasn't about to show off her thong or borrow underwear from Andy.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Noelle muttered as she watched them all casually disrobe.

"What are you talking about? You have it easy." Chris complained. "You hardly even have to take anything off."

They had all decided that since these were Noelle's friends she could look like the winner. She didn't need them seeing her in anything other than proper clothes, plus as the veteran she would be more experienced even at poker. In the end, she took off both socks and took off her sweater so she was only in her t-shirt.

As they had been getting into their various states of undress and planning what they were going to do, the girls couldn't stop giggling. And unfortunately it was contagious. Just when they'd get calmed down, someone would burst out laughing again and they'd have to start all over. Traci was starting to get pissed at them when the knock came at the door. "This is not going to work if you guys can't keep a straight face." She warned.

"OK, Andy you're up." Gail encouraged.

Andy walked over to the door; she had put the chain on earlier so the door could only be opened a short way. She looked through the peephole and sure enough it was Sam, Oliver and Jerry. She took an extra second to compose herself before turning the knob.

She pulled the door open as far as the chain would allow, but didn't really show herself in the opening till she poked her head around, hiding her body fully behind the door.

She greeted the three men standing there. "Hi guys. What's up?"

They all exchanged looks of confusion. _Why was she hiding behind the door and why didn't she just open it up and let them in?_

Sam recovered first. "It sounded like you were having a party, so we thought we'd stop by."

"No…not a party." She countered. "It's just a friendly card game."

"We like cards." Oliver declared.

"I know…and so do we. But we never get an invite to your games."

"That's because it's high stakes." Jerry bragged.

"Whatever…but we don't crash your games either. Why would you want to sink to our level? Wouldn't that be slumming it?" She asked, looking pointedly at Oliver.

He realized that Noelle must have told them what he had said, and he looked at the other two for help. None of them really had a response to that, but they weren't going to give up; they definitely wanted answers.

"Come on McNally." Sam practically begged.

Just then, a movement caught the eyes of the men outside. They had all been unconsciously inching closer to the entry and caught a glimpse of Dov as he snuck by the door to head down the hall to the bathroom.

"Was that Epstein?" Jerry asked baffled by what he thought he saw.

"Huh?" Andy looked back, but he was already gone. "Could've been I guess."

She knew it was; they had almost every move choreographed before the guys had arrived.

Oliver had finally regained his composure. "We could probably help out you know. Maybe teach you how to play. We are skilled training officers…well and one suit, but we try not to hold that against him."

Jerry turned to glare quickly at Oliver before turning back to Andy; they were on a mission and he would have to make Oliver pay for that comment later. "Absolutely, we'd be happy to help you out."

Sam looked up hopefully at Andy. "Though I'm sure some of us would be more helpful than others." He said with a smirk, as he moved in closer and tried to add extra depth to the dimples.

Andy couldn't help but smile back at him. He winked and she started to blush; he knew she wanted him there as much as he wanted to be there. And he was trying to use that knowledge to his full advantage.

Andy turned around to yell back 'forgetting' to stay completely behind the door, revealing her bare shoulder to Sam. He felt his pulse racing at the site of her exposed skin. Things were starting to add up.

"Do we need any more players?" She called back.

"NO!" Her friends returned in chorus.

"Sorry, guys, our table's full."

"McNally, can I talk to you for a minute." Sam requested. He didn't have to be a detective to figure out what was going on. Dov in his underwear and Andy partially dressed…he was pretty sure he knew what was going on and why they weren't invited in.

"Go ahead, Sam."

"In private." He clarified.

"Um…well…why don't we talk tomorrow?" She suggested.

"Why can't you come out? Or let me in?" He pressed.

Just at that moment, Dov snuck back in the room and after the second look, Sam was sure of what he saw, and sure that he had come to the correct conclusion.

Before Andy had a chance to answer Sam, Traci called out. "Hurry up, Andy."

"Sorry, Sam. I really do have to get back."

She tried to ease the door closed, but Sam had stuck his foot in it to prevent it. She was about to ask him to move when Gail came out. "Andy, are there more chips for this dip; it's so good."

Andy turned around to answer her, and Sam took the opportunity to move even closer to the door and peer in as best he could.

"What's going on, Sammy?" Jerry asked. He and Oliver were getting anxious. Sam was blocking the door and after they had seen Dov, they really wanted to know the whole story.

"Hang on." He hushed back at them.

Sam's eyes widened. Gail Peck had come towards the entry in just a skirt and a camisole. His eyes got even wider when he spied a pair women's underwear on the floor under an empty seat. He had to swallow hard as he tried not to imagine Andy sidling out of those at the table. Now he definitely needed to see behind the door; he tried to peer around enough to get a glimpse of Andy.

Before he could turn his eyes, Andy looked back and noticed. She stepped further behind the door and put some pressure on it. She didn't want to hurt him, but he wasn't supposed to get a full peek of her.

Oliver had perked up upon hearing about the food. "You made dip?"

"Don't you guys have snacks when you play at your house?" Gail commented through the door.

"Yeah, usually we order pizza and eat potato chips." Jerry grumbled as Andy told Gail where to find the chips and crackers.

Dov yelled out. "That's not how Andy does it."

"We have dry ribs, bacon cheddar dip for veggies, and what is that warm dip again?" Traci added. The men could hear the others raving about how good it was and trying to remember what Andy had called it.

Oliver's mouth was already watering; maybe playing poker with the rookies wouldn't be a bad thing after all. Or was it a woman they needed to invite; he knew that they always ate better at his house because of Zoe's help.

Chris then came around the corner with no shirt; he had previously been completely hidden from view. "When did you have time to make cookies?" He marveled, his mouth half full of one.

He was standing in full view of the small opening and now Sam wasn't the only one who had a pretty good idea of what was going on in there.

"Listen, Sam. I have to go." Andy repeated.

Sam was not going to let her go willingly. He continued to kick up a fuss telling Andy that he wanted her to come out and talk to him or at least let him in. She could tell that he was getting frustrated with her and she never enjoyed that…on or off the job. It was starting to bother her and she was worried that they had pushed him too far. "Hang on."

Andy shut the door, but she could hear the three men talking.

"Are they doing what I think they're doing?" Jerry asked.

"If you think they're playing strip poker, they are." Sam confirmed.

"Did you see Epstein?"

"Well I saw more of both Epstein and Diaz then I wanted to that's for sure." Oliver declared. "It's bad enough at work, but I shouldn't have to see it when I'm off the clock." He added, pretending to shudder.

"Sammy, could you see the girls?" Jerry wondered.

"I saw Peck in some fancy tank top and skirt."

"What about Traci?" Jerry grumbled; it would be one thing if she had done this on girls' night, but there were two guys in there and he didn't like it.

"I'm guessing you tried for a peek at McNally." Oliver teased. "You know…before, when you practically tried to will your whole body through the opening."

Sam glared. "I only saw a bare shoulder so I'm not sure but…" He didn't think he wanted to share the part about the underwear so he stopped.

"But…"

"Never mind. I think it's pretty obvious they've all lost a few hands. What are we going to do now?"

Inside, Andy had turned with a little grin; she wasn't upset anymore. They were succeeding in their ruse and she was sure Sam would get over it once they finally let them off the hook. She moved closer to the table. "Sam wants me to go out there or let him in."

"No way, they can't come in." Gail protested. The tease was fun, but she really didn't want them to see any more.

"Well I can't go out there like this." Andy objected.

"Noelle, you go." Traci suggested.

Outside, the men looked up when they heard the turning of the knob again. As the opening widened, they realized that this was their chance for a better look. They all moved back towards the door as Noelle opened it and tried to make her way out.

They were practically pushing over each other to get the best vantage point. Jerry's eyes widened as Traci was pulling off her last sock. Sam's jaw dropped open when he saw Andy take the seat above the sexy underwear on the floor. He had to take a deep breath and force himself to think about anything other than Andy; if he wasn't careful, his feelings were going to be even more obvious than they already were. When he heard Andy say 'does anyone feel a draft', he just about lost it.

As soon Noelle was in the hallway, she quickly closed the door. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they had seen enough. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

Oliver noticed that she was in her standard after work black t-shirt, which wasn't out of the ordinary but for some reason his eyes were drawn down. The other two men followed his gaze noticing that she had no socks on. "Noelle, what the hell is going on?"

"I told you on the phone; we're playing poker."

"What kind of poker?" Sam asked looking for her to confirm their suspicions.

"7 card stud." She said matter-of-factly knowing full well that's not the answer he was looking for.

"Now if you don't mind, I was winning and I don't trust Epstein not to cheat." She knew she was going to start laughing any minute so she had to get back in there fast.

Before they could protest or at the very least confirm the stakes, she had already slipped back in through the door.

"Now what?" Sam asked.

"I am not leaving." Jerry stated with conviction.

Oliver didn't have a vested interest in there so he was ready to call it quits. But both Sam and Jerry had a lot of reasons why they wanted in, but the two main ones were Andy and Traci and the fact that neither one of them wanted anyone seeing 'their girls' like that except for them.

As they were trying to figure out another way to get in short of using lock picks, they heard the entry door open at the bottom of the stairs. They could only hope it wasn't a nosy neighbor that would want them all out of there immediately. How would they explain why they were lurking outside Andy's door and why they shouldn't have to leave?

They listened as the footsteps started their ascent. They kept their eyes on the landing preparing to greet the new arrival. The same thought popped into all of their minds at exactly the same time.

_Shit! _Tommy McNally had just appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a set of poker chips.


	4. Chapter 4

This was supposed to be the last chapter before a short epilogue, but it got away from me. Now it looks like one more chapter after this, planned to be complete with the epilogue type ending. Unfortunately, I'll be away most of next week so it likely won't be up till at least next weekend.

Oh yeah...Surprise! …You'll see.

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><p>They listened as the footsteps started their ascent. They kept their eyes on the landing preparing to greet the new arrival. The same thought popped into all of their minds at exactly the same time.<p>

_Shit! _Tommy McNally had just appeared at the top of the stairs carrying a set of poker chips.

It was second nature for Sam to want to protect Andy and it didn't take long for his instincts to kick in. He knew he had to do all he could to either prevent Tommy from going in or at the very least alert Andy that her Dad was out here. There was no way he could let Tommy see her like that.

_I hope you're listening, McNally. _ "Hey Tommy, what's up?" Sam practically screamed, heavy on the Tommy.

The chuckle was just bubbling under the surface for Oliver when he heard Sam's voice. Sam wasn't nervous often so Oliver wasn't going to let him get away unscathed. He was about to call him out on the sharpness of his voice when he caught Sam's eye and realized that it wasn't completely nerves. Now knowing what Sam was trying to accomplish, he followed his lead, greeting Tommy by name as loudly as he could.

Tommy looked questioningly at the men; he had no idea why they felt the need to shout. _Maybe they had a few before they came over._

"Oh, I was away all day, but I finally got Andy's message that she needed my poker chips. I was on my way to a meeting so I thought I'd drop them off. Are you guys leaving? I have them now so you can still play."

"No, that's fine. We just got here. Why don't I take them in for you?" Sam offered.

"That's OK, Swarek. I wanted to go in and talk to Andy anyway."

Before anyone could stop him, Tommy knocked on the door. "Andy, it's me." He shouted out as he twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

All three men gasped in surprise when the door actually opened; they would all bet money that Noelle would be kicking herself for forgetting to lock it. "Wait." They called at the same time.

But it was too late, the door was already ajar and he was already taking a step inside. Now that the jig was up, they weren't about to be left behind so as Tommy proceeded in, the men were hot on his heels; their eyes darting around to all the rookies. Tommy turned and gave them a backward glance, but they didn't seem to be paying him any attention so he continued in.

For the third time in the span of a few minutes, the three men found their eyes widening in surprise. They couldn't believe it when they saw the entire group sitting there, fully clothed and playing poker somewhat calmly. Again, they shared a single thought. _What the hell? _

"Hi Honey." Tommy greeted as Andy stood up

"Hey, Dad. Thanks for bringing the chips; I told you, you didn't have to."

"I know, but I don't use them and I thought you might want them here anyway. I was headed out to a meeting so it wasn't any problem."

Andy took the case from her father.

_Flashback – a few minutes previous_

_Noelle had just opened the door to talk to Sam, Jerry and Oliver when Andy's phone vibrated on the table; she had silenced the ring after Sam's earlier call._

_She picked it up when she saw her Dad's number on the screen, thankful that he was finally returning her call._

"_Hi, Dad."_

"_Hey, sweetheart."_

"_I got your messages and thought I'd better phone back. Sorry I didn't call back sooner."_

"_That's fine, Dad. Where were you?"_

"_One of my old partners was back in town and we met for an early breakfast and ended up spending the whole day catching up and visiting some mutual friends. I actually forgot my cell phone at home. I hope you weren't too worried."_

"_I was a little worried." She admitted, though not as much as she would have been a few months ago._

_Tommy nodded knowingly; he understood what she didn't say. When he was drinking, if he didn't return her calls it usually meant he was passed out somewhere and often she had no idea where he was or if he was even ok._

"_I'm sorry, honey."_

"_It's ok, Dad. I'm just glad everything is fine."_

"_Now about the poker chips…" He started._

"_Oh, don't worry about it; we borrowed Steve Peck's set for tonight. I might need them another time though so I'll come get them when I do."_

"_No, no…I'll just bring them over; I'm not using them anyway so you might as well have them there."_

"_It's ok, Dad. I'll just pick them up the next time I'm over." She offered not wanting her father anywhere near her apartment right now._

"_I'm already on my way. I have a meeting to go to so I'll be there in a couple minutes."_

"_Dad…"_

"_It's no trouble; I'm almost there. See you in a bit." _

"_Just knock and come in." She answered resigned._

_The rookie's eyes had gotten wider and wider as Andy continued speaking with her father. The minute she hung up, she looked at everyone and ordered, "Get dressed, NOW."_

_They didn't second guess her; they had gotten the gist of the conversation and figured out that Tommy McNally was on his way over…and he must have been close. There was no way any of them wanted to be caught in a compromising position by Andy's father so they moved as quickly as they could._

_When Noelle came back in, she was surprised to see everyone hurriedly finish dressing. "Did you lock the door?" Andy wondered._

"_No." She said getting ready to head back and do just that. _

_Traci grabbed her arm to stop her. As they were explaining the situation, they all heard Swarek say Tommy quite loudly. Noelle smiled as she put her socks back on; it was obvious that Sam was trying to warn them…well Andy at least._

_The door swung open a minute later revealing Tommy McNally followed by three stunned men._

_End Flashback_

The three men outside had been acting very strange and although they looked calm, everyone at the table seemed to be flushed. When Tommy looked back at Shaw, Barber and Swarek they looked like they were in shock. "Is everything OK?" Tommy asked, shifting his gaze between the two groups. He was completely oblivious to the drama he had unknowingly created.

Sam's eyes were darting everywhere looking for signs of what he had previously been witness to and wondering how they were all able to cover their tracks so quickly. Tommy had barely arrived two minutes previously.

He was definitely surprised, but mostly he was glad that Andy and her friends had been able to clean everything up. His glance was caught by a flash of color sticking out of Andy's pocket. His eyes widened and he smirked when he remembered that it matched the exact color of the panties that had previously sat below her seat…and then he realized what that might have meant. _Oh God…do you mean she didn't have time to…_

He took a deep breath trying to stop the revelation from further invading his thoughts. He involuntarily inched his way closer to Andy as she continued to talk with her father.

"When's your meeting? Can you stay and play a few hands?" She asked eying up the boys and smiling when Jerry and Oliver appeared to be put out because they had previously been denied.

She looked at Sam warily as he made his way closer to her. He had an odd look on his face and she hoped he wasn't too upset.

She was waiting for her father's reply when she felt a slow tug at her pocket. She realized that Sam had seen the panties and was slowly pulling them out; he couldn't resist the temptation. She still had the chip case in her hand and she shifted it to hide her lower body while trying to free up a hand to stop him.

She glared at Sam, silently ordering him to 'stop it'.

He just grinned.

"No, I should go." Tommy replied. "Have fun."

As her dad turned towards the door, Andy swatted at Sam's hand but he pulled it away too quickly and she missed him, but she didn't miss seeing the prize he had in his hands. She shot him another glare.

"See you, Dad." She managed to stutter out as she followed him to the door.

"I'll call you tomorrow." He promised quietly so only she could hear. She didn't miss the look that told her she would have to explain why everyone was acting so weird.

"OK." She relented; still not quite sure what she was going to tell him.

The minute Tommy shut the door all hell broke loose. The rookies were all muttering expressions of relief while the three uninvited guests just wanted to know what was going on.

"What the hell was that?" Jerry demanded walking straight over to Traci.

"What do you mean?" Traci replied.

"You wouldn't let us in before."

"We didn't let you in this time either; you followed Tommy in." Noelle reminded him.

"But before…you were all…"

"We were all what?" Traci asked innocently.

"Well, Epstein was…and then I saw you take off…"

The rookies and Noelle started to laugh. "What the hell? It's not funny, Traci. You were playing strip poker and I really don't think you should…" Barber exclaimed, interrupted by Traci laughing harder.

"I'm serious." He continued.

She tried to tone down her chuckle. "I know you are, and it's actually kind of sweet."

"Sweet…I'm mad as hell."

"We weren't playing strip poker, Jerry." Traci revealed.

"Do you really expect me to believe that after we saw what we saw?" He couldn't understand how they were even trying to deny it.

"You saw what we wanted you to see." She explained.

Sam was starting to get a whole different picture now; he'd pulled enough pranks in his day. "What are you talking about?" He asked warily.

"As soon as we realized you were coming over, we decided that if you thought something more was going on, we weren't going to disappoint you. We staged it to look like strip poker." Traci explained with a smirk.

Oliver chuckled over in the corner; he could see the humor. It was easy for him; he didn't have someone there he was in love with.

"You should have seen your faces." Gail grinned.

"And when you came in chasing Andy's dad…" Dov laughed.

"Laugh it up, Epstein. Payback's a bitch." Swarek warned.

That sobered the crowd somewhat until Noelle piped up. "Face it, boys. You've been had."

"Fine…" Sam conceded. "I'll admit it was pretty good…but that doesn't mean there won't be payback." He predicted while eying up all the rookies.

"Oh, I've no doubt, but I'm not sure even you can beat this one." Noelle challenged. "It's going to be pretty tough to top that."

The guys nodded reluctantly. Whether they wanted to or not, they recognized that it had been a pretty good prank.

Oliver had slowly made his way further into the kitchen and was standing by the food trying to resist temptation. Andy just smiled when she noticed him. "Help yourself Oliver; there's plenty."

He grinned. "Maybe just a little. Thanks, McNally."

The first couple things Oliver tasted were really good. "Seeing as we're already here, the offer still stands." He stated, trying to finagle an invitation.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm willing to stay for awhile." He said, ogling the snacks as everyone laughed.

"Of course you are, but that doesn't sound like an offer we can't refuse." Gail quipped.

"If the other two guys are up for it, I mean I'm willing to stay and help show you how to play." He explained. "Diaz and Epstein told us earlier that they didn't really know how; I'm guessing the rest of you are just learning too."

The rookies acknowledged that he was right and now they had a decision to make. It was a good offer and Andy was pretty sure she wanted them to stay, especially Sam.

"Works for me." She said casting a sidelong glance at Sam.

Everyone agreed; they would learn faster and it would be more fun if they knew what they were doing.

Oliver asked Noelle, "You gonna play or teach?"

She thought about it for a few seconds; it was mainly going to be about learning tonight so it made the most sense to help speed that along. "I'm fine to teach tonight, but next time I'm playing." She stated.

"There's going to be a next time." Jerry said incredulously. "You mean you're going to come back and play with them again?"

"Sure why not." Noelle decided. "So far it's been fun, and I can't wait to see what happens next time."

The rookies all laughed. So far it had been a great night and they hadn't even really started playing yet. They had laughs, excitement, a little panic…it had definitely been a fun filled evening.

"I still can't believe you're playing with the rooks." Jerry muttered.

"Yeah well, do you remember when you were short a guy last month and he called when I was there."

Sam admitted that he only vaguely remembered.

"I offered to play with you guys then, but you didn't even pretend to think about it you just called your friend from the 17th." She explained, still disgruntled.

Sam and Jerry just shrugged, not seeing the point.

"You know what Traci said when I asked to join them?"

"What?"

"I'll let Andy know. That was it. It didn't matter that I was a TO and they were Rookies; I wanted to come and that was ok."

And now that Noelle was on a roll, she decided to call her friends out on something else that had been bothering her. She didn't want to sound needy, but she didn't think it was too much to ask either. "And just so you know, I don't just feel left out when it comes to Poker Night. I know it's easy for you guys because you see each other in the locker room all the time, but would it kill you to send me a text letting me know what's happening after work so I at least feel a little included. And heaven forbid, but maybe you could even wait for me once in awhile instead of heading over and just assuming I'm going to follow."

Oliver agreed quickly knowing that she and Zoe were both right. All three men promised to do better.

Always wanting to keep the mood light, Oliver switched gears. "So, Sammy." He addressed, putting him on the spot while knowing full well what his answer would be. "Which rook do you want to be partnered with tonight?"

Sam tried to stop his eyes from shooting directly to Andy, but he knew they were all expecting it so he decided there was no sense in denying who he wanted to be with. "Well, seeing as McNally already knows my teaching style…" He said directing his comment to her in a low voice.

The blush had already started on her cheeks when Oliver asked the question and continued to deepen as everyone ragged on Sam; there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he would pick her. And they made sure he knew it.

"That's what I thought." Oliver admitted before leaning down and matching his voice to Sam's "And seeing as Epstein already knows my teaching style…"

The whole table erupted into laughter.

When everyone settled down, Chris spoke up.

"Well there are only two of you left and we all know who Detective Barber is going to choose." Chris noted directing everyone's attention to Jerry who had basically attached himself to Traci's hip as soon as Tommy left.

"So Noelle, which one of us is going without?" Gail asked.

"Well, seeing as how Diaz has the rule book." Noelle stated, trying to justify her decision.

"And has most of it memorized." Dov added.

"I do not."

"Chris. You were up reading it for the better part of the night last night." Gail revealed.

"Fine…help Gail." He surrendered.

"You got any more chairs McNally?"

"I have stacking stools; I'll go grab them." She said, moving to get up.

"Sit down. Just tell me where they are." Sam offered gallantly.

"It's fine."

"McNally."

"They're in my room beside my bed." She answered quietly.

He realized that was probably why she didn't want him going to get them, but he had already made the offer. "Got it." He responded, turning away quickly so no one could tell that it affected him in the least.

"Maybe you should go give him a hand." Gail suggested to Andy as soon as Sam headed down the hall.

Dov wiggled his eyebrows. "Does he know the way?"

"I'm sure he can find it." Andy answered with a blush; Dov's implication was not lost on her.

"And** I'm** sure he'd like some help." Traci suggested, pushing at Andy to get up.

* * *

><p>A.N. It's funny; it didn't even dawn on me to have Andy not know that her dad was coming. I loved that so many were all anxious that the tables would be turned on her. I'm not sure why I never thought he would just show up; I guess I just assumed that after hearing all her messages, he would want to call her right away. It made it fun though because everyone was expecting Andy to be surprised and not just the boys. After the reviews, I even tried to think of what could happen if Tommy surprised her, but this scenario was already ingrained in my head. I hope you still enjoyed it.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

I'm ba-ack. This is the last chapter, but I will be adding a short epilogue. I was originally going to include the epilogue in this chapter, but really wanted to end it where I did (plus the fact that I was already over 4000 words). Enjoy! Hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

><p>"Maybe you should go give him a hand." Gail suggested to Andy as soon as Sam headed down the hall.<p>

Dov wiggled his eyebrows. "Does he know the way?"

"I'm sure he can find it." Andy answered with a blush; Dov's implication was not lost on her.

"And** I'm** sure he'd like some help." Traci suggested, pushing at Andy to get up.

Andy was resistant. As much as she would love to be alone with Sam, and as much as her friends encouraged it, his friends were here too and she really wasn't sure where they stood on the matter.

"Just go already," Jerry said; he could see how much she wanted to and he knew for a fact that Sam wouldn't object.

Oliver finished another bite of food. "But don't expect us to wait out here too long. I signed up to help you play poker; I did not sign up for a poor imitation of audio surveillance at Sadie's."

Andy blushed, but as her mind debated, her body almost willed itself to stand. Andy's eyes met Noelle's and she gave an almost imperceptible nod of encouragement. She knew Andy needed the reassurance from Sam's friends too. But they all knew how Sam felt about Andy and they were fine with it. They had not seen Sam like this over a woman, well…ever. She would of course tease Sam mercilessly later though.

Andy finally made up her mind, and she would need to hurry to catch him alone before he came back.

"Better get a move on McNally." Dov taunted. "You don't want him to help himself to another pair of panties do you?"

The whole table erupted into laughter. Although Tommy's view had been obstructed, they had not missed the 'exchange' between Sam and Andy.

"Dov!" She admonished before moving quickly to the hallway; they did not need to see her redden any further.

"He wouldn't." Noelle assured.

Andy turned back. "I know. I just…I should probably…I'll be right back." And she almost ran from the room.

Sam had been admiring Andy's taste, checking out the family pictures etc. He had just reached for the stools when he heard her enter. He looked up to see her flushed face and wondered what they had been talking about after he left; he could only be thankful if it drew her to him. He had to smile too; if possible, she was even more gorgeous when she was flustered.

"I'm pretty sure I can carry three stools by myself." He teased lightly.

"Oh…I know…I was just…" She stuttered, trying to calm her racing heart.

He set the stools down, having just remembered something. "Or were you worried I might find another pair of these."

Her eyes widened as he pulled the panties from his pocket. She reached out anxiously to grab them but he drew them away quickly.

"Relax, McNally. I'm just teasing; I would never... " He promised, wanting her to relax. She had sought him out and he was not about to make her uncomfortable.

"I know." She said quietly as he handed them willingly back to her.

"So I'm guessing that those were part of your ruse, and you didn't really…" He let the sentence trail off, not quite sure how to word what he wanted to say.

Andy grinned at his discomfort. "Yeah, I actually tried to talk Gail into it...oh no, not taking hers off." She clarified quickly at the look of shock on Sam's face. "I just wanted her to put them on the floor below her seat, but she wouldn't; so I did."

"Well you had me going." Sam admitted. _ …In more ways than one._

Andy blushed at the double meaning; he was getting her going right now…in her bedroom, alone, standing so close. She could feel her pulse quickening, wondering how that was even possible.

"And do you know how hard it's going to be driving in the squad car with you now that I know about those babies?" …_Like it wasn't hard enough already._

Andy laughed. "You don't have to worry; those are only for **special** occasions." She replied suggestively.

Sam could only nod. Words were failing him as he was trying desperately to stop the images of them celebrating that special occasion together in this very room_…on that bed…with Andy wearing only…_

Before the improper thoughts could take further hold, Andy remembered Oliver's warning and reluctantly noted. "We should probably get back out there so you can put those teaching skills of yours to good use and help me win."

Sam saw an opening and decided to take it. "Of course, we're going to win."

"You're pretty sure of yourself."

"I told you before; I'm awesome." And he flashed the dimples. "And that of course makes you awesome, so together we'll be unstoppable."

"I hope you're right." She replied, yearning for more than just a poker or work partnership.

"I am, and if you don't believe me, how about a little wager?"

She tilted her head warily, waiting for him to continue.

"**When** we win, I get invited back for supper…just the two of us." Andy smiled at the thought, knowing this could be the start of something she had been hoping for, for a long time

"But what if we lose?" She worried not wanting to give up the chance to be alone with Sam.

She needn't have worried; he had that covered too. "Then you'll be invited to my house for supper…just the two of us."

Andy gave him the million dollar smile he loved so much, and he couldn't help the sparkle that lit up his eyes as he matched her grin. There was no doubt that either way, there would be no loser.

As their gazed locked on one another, they found themselves being drawn even closer together and they could sense their relationship changing right in front of their eyes. They were only inches apart with Sam's gaze now alternating between Andy's eyes and her lips. Her breath mingled with his and she could feel her eyes drifting closed as Sam placed his hands gently on either side of her face ready to guide her into what she knew would be the best kiss of her life. The butterflies in her stomach were dancing in anticipation until they were interrupted by Oliver's booming voice. "If you two don't get out here, I'm coming in after you."

Sam and Andy snapped out of it quickly, the disappointment apparent on both of their faces. "After you." Sam motioned in defeat as he backed away and picked up the stools once again.

Out at the table, they had tried small talk but everyone was distracted wondering if any progress was being made in the bedroom. As the time continued to pass, they were all getting more uncomfortable with the prospect that too much progress was being made. And no one wanted to be the one to go in there without knowing what they would be interrupting. That's when Oliver decided to take matters into his own hands.

Sam and Andy walked slowly down the hall, their self consciousness increasing tenfold as they were greeted by the catcalls of all of their friends.

"Well at least you remembered the stools." Jerry noted, grabbing one and passing another to Oliver as soon as Sam set them down.

"But did you get back your…" Dov tried.

"Who needs a drink?" Andy deflected awkwardly, as Gail put a well placed elbow into Dov's side to shut him up.

The rookies and Noelle had brought their own, but the other three were unprepared. Andy was thankful that she had stocked up on beer and scotch when she got her groceries. She poured each man a scotch and left the bottle on the counter with instructions for them to help themselves. She topped up her wine and sat down in her chair with Sam on the stool next to her.

"What are we playing for?" Gail asked.

"What do you mean?" Jerry wondered.

"We don't want to play for money; we can't afford high stakes remember." She goaded.

"And we would never play for clothes." Traci said in mock offense.

"Ha ha!"

"How about a week's worth of paperwork?" Dov suggested, trying to get out of his least favorite part of the job.

They also discussed drinks at the Penny, but everyone agreed that having someone else complete their paperwork was a more attractive prize. With the stakes decided, they began to play. It really helped having the TO's there to coach them, and for the most part everyone was having a good time. There were of course a few disagreements, but it wasn't anything like at work. They were being taught but it was more relaxed, even the TO's were enjoying themselves.

"So how do you get invited to join Poker Night?" Chris asked while a new hand was being dealt.

"You just have to wait it out." Jerry advised.

"Eventually someone drops out or retires or transfers, and then you wait to be asked." Oliver added.

"But how do you choose who to ask and how do you know if someone wants in?" Chris wondered.

"Basically we know who wants to play by what guys did. Just like you, if someone wants to join, they'll usually ask. As for the decision, it's just a group consensus." Jerry answered.

"How long did you have to wait?" Dov wanted to know.

"More importantly," Traci asked. "Who got invited first? It couldn't have been all three of you at once. How did you deal with the separation anxiety?"

Everyone laughed, knowing Traci had a point; those three spent a great deal of their free time as a group. "Funny, Trace. Actually, the first one to get asked was…"

Before he could reveal the answer, Jerry was interrupted as Traci, Gail and Dov yelled Shaw and Chris and Andy yelled Swarek.

"I was going to say me." Jerry answered somewhat offended that no one had guessed him.

"Really." Traci responded incredulously.

"Is that so hard to believe? I thought you were…I mean we…Never mind." He sulked.

Traci put her hand on his. "We are." She assured with a smile. "I didn't mean to be surprised it's just…"

"Just what?"

Gail bailed her out. "Sorry, sir…Jerry." She corrected; they decided that it should be first names at Poker Night, and at the very least, not sir. "I hate to say it, but Shaw and Swarek are just more outgoing. I guessed Shaw because he seems to be the most approachable."

"I did too." Dov agreed. "Swarek may be outgoing but you have to admit he can be a little grouchy."

"Hey!" Sam and Andy took offense at exactly the same time before grinning at each other. Even with something this trivial, she always had his back.

"I don't know, Dov; everybody likes and respects Swarek." Chris contradicted. But when he realized what he had implied, he turned sheepishly to Oliver. "Not that you aren't sir, Shaw, Oliver. I just…"

Oliver chuckled. "Relax, Diaz; it's fine. Sam **is** well liked and we all respect him and the job he does."

Andy looked over at Dov. "You just don't know him well enough."

"Would you care to tell us how well you know him?" Dov teased back.

Andy reddened for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She was furiously searching her mind for a way to dig herself out of the hole she had just dug when Traci saved her.

"Well, you're all just lucky they didn't invite women back then because none of you would have been first. It would have been Noelle." Traci bragged eliciting a smile from Noelle, who appreciated the faith Traci had always put in her.

"So why don't you tell us why **you** were the first then." Traci instructed. "What are we missing here? Was there something we don't know about? Was the young Jerry Barber just that irresistible?"

Jerry quickly wished that he hadn't gotten so defensive. "My uncle was head of the group." He confessed to everyone's amusement.

"What can I say…It's not what you know but who you know." Jerry shrugged. "And once I got in, I made sure Sam and Ollie were invited next.

"But we waited a long time." Oliver remembered. "Years, in fact. We were far from rookies."

"We never thought to start our own game." Sam admitted.

"Maybe if we had, I'd be allowed to play." Noelle added, still a little bitter.

"Sorry, Noelle." Oliver offered again.

"Has a woman ever been invited?" Traci wondered.

The three senior officers exchanged looks; it didn't take much thought before they conceded that no women had ever been invited. But they were quick to add that back in the day there weren't as many female cops either.

As the night wore on, everyone started relaxing more and more. Andy was drinking wine with Traci and Gail and Sam was drinking scotch. Everyone knew that both Sam and Andy got freer when they drank, so someone always made sure that their drinks were topped up. The two were so enthralled with each other that they didn't even notice that they rarely had to pour their own drinks. But it was hard to say if it was the relaxing effects of the alcohol or the undeniable attraction they had for each other that had them talking quietly to each other even when it wasn't their turn. More than once the two had to be reminded that it was their turn to bet.

At one point when Sam and Andy were up, they were disagreeing about what to play. "Do you trust me?"

Andy rolled her eyes. "Of course I do, but…"

"Trust me." He said sincerely, looking into her eyes.

"Oh get a room." Gail teased.

Sam grabbed Andy's hand and started to stand up appearing to try and pull her down the hallway. The dimpled grin gave him away though.

"Just bet already." Jerry ordered while Andy blushed yet again.

By the end of the night, Sam wasn't even on his own stool anymore. He was sitting on Andy's chair with her sitting between his legs. As the night progressed, everyone had watched as his seat kept inching closer to her chair.

When his stool couldn't move any further, he ended up leaning in next to her with his hand draped across the back of her chair. It was shortly after that that Traci had noticed another flush come across Andy's face for no apparent reason. She looked at Andy questioningly but Andy just shook her off silently with her eyes. Traci's gaze was then drawn backward as she detected movement out of the corner of her eye. It was then that she noticed that Sam was playing unconsciously with Andy's hair. Her widened eyes met Andy's wink; she knew her friend was in heaven and Traci was happy for her.

When nature had eventually called and Andy went to the washroom, she came back and Sam was sitting in her seat.

"Sorry, McNally but those stools are not comfortable for extended periods of time."

"You should have said something; I can sit there." She offered, moving toward his vacant seat.

But before she had a chance to take it, he told her it was their turn and he pulled her down onto the chair with him to discuss the play. It was like he didn't even realize what he was doing. And Andy didn't protest, but she was almost certain that her heart could be seen beating out of her chest as he whispered his strategy into her ear. She was quickly caught up in the play though and any shyness was soon forgotten.

No one said a word…well almost no one. Oliver had opened his mouth with a retort at the ready, but only the first word escaped before Noelle stopped him in his tracks. She had a feeling that Andy would be too self conscious to stay there if anyone brought it up. And they had all been waiting for something to happen between these too so the last thing she wanted was for anything to get in the way of that. Noelle passed a look around the table asking for their silent agreement to leave it be.

So for the rest of the night Sam and Andy shared the same chair. And when Andy got up to open another bottle of wine, everyone held their breath, but without thinking she grabbed it and poured some for herself, Gail and Traci before returning to the seat with Sam.

They tried to see if Sam and Andy were giving it any thought at all, but they really couldn't tell and it just didn't matter. They were all happy to see how naturally the two came together; confirmation of what they all knew had been inevitable.

In the end, the partnership of Noelle and Gail won the most 'money'. The guys were forced to see just how good a player Noelle really was. She was definitely good enough to play with them and would probably be a great addition to their group, though there was also the potential for her to take their money on a regular basis. But they knew they owed it to their friend to invite her to take the next opening that came along.

Once the chips were all packed up, everyone stood and headed for the entry.

Chris had stayed sober to drive Gail and Dov home. And both had taken advantage of the fact that they were not the designated driver for the evening.

Oliver had only had a few knowing that he had to go home to Zoe and the girls. He was already later than planned and even though he had called Zoe earlier, he would still have some explaining to do and he knew that. He realized a couple of hours ago that being drunk on top of being late was probably not the way to go.

Traci had come with Noelle, and Jerry had left his car at the Penny when he came over with Sam. Noelle had agreed to give Jerry a ride back to his car, and he figured that would give him enough time to convince them both that he should be the one to take Traci home.

As they gathered at the door to leave, they laughed over the night's events and how it had not turned out anything like any of them had envisioned.

Talk of the beginning of the night reminded Jerry of something. "I still don't understand how you got dressed so quickly. I mean Tommy was barely outside a minute before he came in."

Noelle chuckled. "When I was out talking to you party crashers, Tommy was calling Andy to let her know he was coming over. He wouldn't take no for an answer so when I came back in they were already frantically dressing. I had to laugh when I heard Sam practically yelling out there to let us know that Tommy was here though."

"You caught that?" Sam asked. He should have known Noelle would pick up on it.

"Yeah we did. It probably wouldn't have made a difference if we hadn't already known, but thanks for having our backs."

"Anytime." Sam assured her, though his main concern was always for one back in particular.

As they were walking out, Sam found himself lingering behind. "Aren't you coming Sammy?" Oliver asked sweetly.

"Um…I thought I would hang around and help McNally put a few things away before I headed home."

"Is that what they're calling it now?" Oliver teased.

Sam glared while trying to hold back the grin. He did hope for more than a little clean up, but he wasn't about to brag about it. "You're a real comedian; you know that?"

"Seriously Sammy, you're in no shape to drive. You're going to need a ride home." Oliver pressed, though he knew there was a chance that Sam was not planning on making the trip home tonight.

As much as Andy wanted Sam to stay, now was not the time. She didn't want everyone knowing or speculating about what was going on after they left. This was private and personal and very important to her and she didn't want anyone making light of it.

"It's fine, Sam. I'm just going to leave most of it till morning anyway."

Sam looked more than a little disappointed, and Andy wanted him to know that it wasn't that she didn't want him there; she definitely did…just not now. "But I wouldn't turn down help in the morning when you come and get your truck."

The grin came back to Sam's face complete with his trademark dimples. "Is there a breakfast offer in there too somewhere?"

Andy smiled back. "Of course. How does 10 o'clock sound?"

"I'll be here."

"Let's go, Sammy." Oliver prodded.

"Can you give me a minute?"

"Sure, I'll be down in the car."

Everyone else was just standing and waiting; no one else wanted to leave. They were all anxious to see what might happen between their two friends. Sam and Andy were acutely aware of their audience and were nervously anticipating their departure.

"Come on." Noelle ordered in her best crowd control voice. "There's nothing to see here." And she herded everyone down the stairs, grabbing Dov by the arm to ensure that he came along.

"I thought they'd never leave." Sam joked.

"Did you need to talk to me about something?" She asked ernestly.

"I just wanted to know what time you wanted to come over tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night?"

"Yeah, supper…my house?"

"What's the occasion?" She asked, forgetting about their earlier bet.

He gave her a suggestive wink and kissed her softly on the cheek before whispering huskily into her ear. "I don't know, but I'm sure we can think up something **special**."


	6. Chapter 6

OK…so my short epilogue did not turn out to be so…yet.

When I started writing the flashback of the next day, it overtook the chapter so much so that it didn't feel like an epilogue anymore. So guess what? Bonus time! I wrote the next day as a separate chapter, which will then be followed by the actual epilogue. Finally a little more than just implied McSwarek love…Enjoy!

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><p>Sam arrived at Andy's apartment the next morning promptly at ten o'clock to help clean up after the strip poker charade.<p>

He knocked on the door waiting as patiently as he could to see her; it had been a long, sleepless night. When she answered wearing a simple tank and shorts and no makeup, she took his breath away just like she always did.

She stepped aside and ushered him and he soon realized that most everything had already been cleaned up. "I thought I was coming here to help."

Andy reddened. "You were…it's just I couldn't really sleep so I decided to get up and get started."

He was just glad she didn't call to tell him not to come. "How long have you been up?" He wondered; the house looked spotless.

"A few hours." She admitted sheepishly.

Sam winked; he knew exactly what she meant, though he didn't admit that he had been up for hours as well, just biding his time till he could see her again. After tossing and turning all night, he had gotten up, cleaned his own house, fixed his lawn mower and cut the lawn the minute he felt it was polite enough to do so. He then set the steaks to marinade before he finally got in the shower to get ready to come over.

Andy had cleaned the house, done up all the dishes, set the table, baked a cake for dessert for tonight and most obviously started breakfast.

"Well, something smells delicious." Sam complimented.

"I hope you like waffles." She said knowing that they were one of his favorites. Whenever they were on the job and had a chance to actually sit down and eat breakfast, he almost always ordered waffles.

Sam grinned, wondering if she really needed to ask.

"Come and sit down." She said, directing him to the table.

She had already put out two place settings on opposite sides of the table, and provided juice, milk, bacon, and fresh fruit to top off the waffles. When Andy moved to pull the last waffle out of the maker, she brought the full plate back with her and smiled. She had turned back just in time to see Sam sliding the second place setting around the corner and over to the end of the table so they would be able to sit closer together. He looked up at her slightly guilty before grinning back.

Andy simply took the seat he had moved her plate to and offered him the waffles. He took one and put it on her plate first before he served one for himself. They began to eat in relative silence.

As they ate, they would steal glances at one another not sure quite how to put into words what they were feeling. When their eyes met, they could both feel their pulses racing. Andy quickly blushed and looked back down at her food.

Sam nudged his leg up against hers to get her to look back at him. "This is really good."

"Thanks."

At Sam's prompt, they finally managed some small talk. As they enjoyed the rest of their meal, their legs continued to rest against each other, both needing the contact they had been deprived of for so long.

With breakfast done, Sam offered to do the dishes but Andy would only let him wash. They worked as a team to finish them up, content in being together and each privately hoping for many more mornings like this in the future.

"Well, McNally since you handled the rest of the clean up by yourself, what are we going to do now?"

She was thrilled that he wasn't planning to rush off, and she searched her mind trying to find something to do that would keep him there. She could think of a lot of things she wanted to do, but they hadn't even been on a real date yet. And she was so happy to have him this close that she was struggling to find something G rated.

She needn't have worried. Sam had it all under control and he wasn't going anywhere, not if he could help it. He grabbed Andy's hand, stopping by the fridge to get a couple of bottles of water. He led her to the couch and pulled her down beside him as he picked up the remote and leaned back.

Andy loved how comfortable he appeared to be in her home. She knew she could get used to this very easily. He flipped the channels until he found that a Blue Jays game would be starting shortly. "This ok?"

"Perfect." She said, looking into his eyes. They both knew that she meant way more than his choice of television programs.

Sam was happy to find that Andy knew a lot about baseball; another thing they had in common and could enjoy together. Having switched from water to beer around the fourth inning, they watched the entire game and post game show, chatting and laughing and discussing the good and bad plays.

When the game finally ended, Sam realized that he still had things to prepare at home. Their date was supposed to start in a couple of hours and all he had done was marinate the steaks. But he was torn; he really wasn't ready to leave Andy.

"I have to go get supper ready." He stated, rising from the couch.

Andy tried not to show her disappointment as she stood up with him. "OK…so six o'clock then?"

"Too long." He muttered before making a decision. "Why don't you just come with me now? That way you don't have to walk."

Andy grinned knowing he was feeling the same things she was. "Sam, a girl needs time to prepare for a date." She blushed; they hadn't even really labeled it a date, _maybe it was just him paying back the bet_. "I mean…"

"You already look perfect for our **date**." He assured her, glad that they were finally on the same page – as far as he was concerned this was definitely a date, with hopefully many more to come.

She shook her head. "Are you kidding? Look at me."

"Oh I have been." He smirked, taking a couple of steps towards her. "Believe me; you look beautiful. You always do."

Andy blushed, though not quite convinced. "Thank you."

"Andy, you are gorgeous; you could never be anything but. And I've wanted this for so long; I'm tired of waiting. All I need is you."

Andy couldn't respond; she was too overwhelmed by the realization that they were finally going to be together and that Sam wanted her as much as she wanted him.

When she didn't say anything, it was Sam's turn to worry that maybe he was jumping the gun and she wasn't as into this as he was. "I know it seems fast; I mean we haven't even gone out. But the feelings are there… and I don't want to rush you, but…"

"Sam…Sam…" She reached out and touched his arm to steady his nerves.

"Hmmm?"

She moved her hand down along his arm to grasp his hand. "I know and I have those feelings too. And for some reason it doesn't feel like we're rushing; it just feels right. And even though it may not have seemed like it, I've been waiting too."

Sam's relief was evident; she still had a grip on his hand and he used it to pull her in close. "I can't wait two hours."

"I'm not going to like it either, but this girl wants to look 'special' for dinner tonight." She whispered suggestively.

"Andy." He responded in a low voice. It was all he could get out, as his whole body received her message loud and clear. He closed the remaining distance between them and pulled her in for the kiss they were denied in her room last night, and Andy was right; it was the best kiss of her life.

When they finally broke for air, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Two hours is two hours too long. So go get ready now and come over as soon as you're done. Don't take too long."

"OK." She agreed as she leaned in for another mind numbing kiss.

Andy finally broke away knowing that if she didn't, they weren't going to make it over to Sam's house for dinner. She would have been happy with that too, but they had both been waiting for far too long. And everything they already had and everything they could possibly be warranted more than just a few hurried moments it deserved celebration.

Andy registered his moan of protest and grinned in response. "You have to go."

Sam brushed his nose against hers, and she felt that familiar rush of feelings that she got every time he did it. It always made her feel like she was his, even before she truly was.

"I know." He agreed without moving an inch.

Andy giggled. "I won't be long."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

He gave her one last quick kiss and moved towards the door.

"Wait." She called out.

He turned around and grabbed her hand, ready to pull her out with him. "I knew you couldn't resist either."

Andy giggled again. "I just wanted you to take the dessert so it didn't get ruined on my walk over."

"Oh." He said, somewhat disappointed.

She grabbed the cake and passed it to him before kissing his cheek. "I can't wait." She assured with a whisper.

After locking the door behind Sam, Andy practically ran down the hall to her room; she was not going to delay this any more than she already had. She rushed to the drawer and pulled out the panties from the previous night; this was definitely a special occasion. She grabbed the matching bra, grinning at the thought of Sam getting an eyeful of both of them on her. She skipped to the shower.

Sam grinned the entire way home; his girl was coming over. He was cooking her supper, and if all went well, it would be his turn to cook **her** breakfast the next day. He couldn't be happier.

He was just finishing the last of his preparations when he heard the knock at five thirty. He smiled at the thought of her hurrying over to see him; happy that she was just as excited as he was.

"It took you long enough." He teased as he opened the door.

Without missing a beat she gave it right back. "Hey, perfection takes time."

He shook his head as he closed the distance between them; _she really had no idea._

"I missed you." He whispered as his hands cupped her cheeks and his lips softly met hers.

"I missed you, too."

Sam slid his hands down her arms and gently led her inside, closing the door with his foot. He let go with one hand and entwined their fingers with the other as he continued to lead her through the house and out onto the deck.

Andy let out a quiet gasp of surprise; it was incredible. She really didn't know if it always looked like this, but it was like a beautiful oasis…breathtaking. His yard was perfectly groomed; the patio table was set, with a bottle of wine chilling. She could see the lanterns that had been strung along the railing, and could only imagine what it would have been like had the sun already set. "Sam, this looks amazing."

"Not as amazing as you do." He said, as he leaned in for another kiss; he still had not let go of her hand.

He pulled away after a few seconds knowing that if he didn't, they wouldn't make it to the meal. He smiled when she whimpered in protest.

"Would you like some wine?" He offered, letting go of her hand to pull out her chair.

"Yes, please."

He poured them each a glass before moving to the grill to put on the steaks.

They continued to talk quietly as Sam finished cooking the meat. Andy loved watching him move expertly around the grill and knew in her heart that she could stay here with him forever. For once in her life, the thought of running was nowhere to be found and it felt so good.

They ate their meal while enjoying comfortable conversation. And after relaxing for a bit once they were finished, Sam stood up to clear the table insisting that Andy should sit down and let him take care of it. Any clean up would be done later…much later. After putting all the necessities away, Sam joined Andy back outside.

They had been sitting quietly just enjoying each other's company, when Andy broke the silence. "Sam that was so good. Are you ready for dessert? I can go cut the cake if you like."

"McNally, as good as that cake looks; it's not what my body is craving right now."

He stood up and held out his hand to her; she took hold without hesitation as he led her back into the house and into his bedroom. She watched as he lit more candles around the room and then came back to pull her into him.

He pressed his lips softly against hers, pouring every emotion he had felt over the last year into showing her just how much he cared. But showing her wasn't going to be enough. "I love you, Andy."

It slipped out; he didn't regret it because it was how he had felt for a long time. He just wasn't sure if it would scare her or not so he continued quickly wanting to fill any awkward silence that might be following. "I hope it's not too…"

She put her hand gently on his mouth to stop his worry. When she felt him relax, she let her hand glide softly over to his cheek and led him back in towards her. "I love you too, Sam."

That was all he needed and he continued to kiss her gently but with more passion than she had felt in her entire life. She really wasn't sure how much longer her legs would hold her upright; he shook her right to her very core.

When breathing became an issue, he started moving his kisses along her jaw line. He was going torturously slow and she knew it was probably taking all of his self control to do it. She had seen the look in his eyes and knew they were as dark with need as hers were.

But as much as they both wanted this, they also wanted to relish every moment. This wasn't something to be rushed; this was special and it meant the world to both of them.

When Sam reached for the hem of her shirt, she immediately raised her arms to help him with his task. As he lifted it up and over her body, she caught a little grin before he moved back in to kiss along the newly exposed skin of her collarbone. She was pretty sure that he had recognized the color from last night. He dropped feather light kisses along her body as he reached for the button of her jeans. As he slowly began to unzip them, she felt a soft chuckle against her skin as well as a quiet confirmation, "special".

Andy's pants fell to the floor and she pulled Sam up for a kiss as she stepped out of them. She then proceeded to return his favor by helping him remove the barriers of his clothing. When they were both left only in their underwear, Sam guided Andy to the bed.

* * *

><p>As they lay spent in each other's arms, Sam knew that he would never be able to go back. He had no doubt that he was exactly where he wanted to be, and it was important for him to know that she felt the same way. He didn't really know how to ask so as always he relied on his sense of humor to break the ice.<p>

"I can't believe you took advantage of me like that." He teased.

"Sam!"

"I'm only kidding, Andy." He assured. "I just want to know that everything is OK…that you don't have any regrets. I know it may seem too soon but..."

"Sam, the feelings have been there for a long time and we both know that; we've just been holding them back. I told you before it doesn't feel fast; it just feels right."

After a few more moments of silence, Sam sighed in contentment before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "What about cake? Is too soon for that?"


	7. Epilogue

Thanks to everyone for your reviews.

Jessica, thank you for the kind words; I'm sure you can tell that McSwarek is my favorite so I really don't have a lot of Traci/Jerry story ideas. If something comes to mind, I'll see what I can do; if nothing else, maybe they can play a supporting role in another McSwarek fic. I'll have to check my next idea for the possibility.

Now here's the short (yeah right) epilogue. Enjoy!

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><p>Almost a year later<p>

Sam and Andy were both covered in a thin sheen of sweat as they lay tangled in the sheets of the bed they had called 'theirs' for the last eight months. Reluctantly, Andy started to rise pulling at one of the covers to wrap it around her body as she made her way to the adjoining bathroom for a shower.

Unbeknownst to her Sam had tightened his grip on it in an effort to keep her from leaving. She barely made it two steps away before she felt the tug.

"Sam, let go. I have to hurry; I'm already going to be late because of you."

"You weren't complaining earlier." He noted with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a flash of the dimples.

She couldn't help but grin back; those damn dimples were too tempting. "No, I wasn't, and that was one hell of a welcome home by the way. But I still have to get going, and thanks to your little distraction I need a shower."

"What can I say McNally? I'm that irresistible."

"Yes, you are." She agreed, leaning back for a quick chaste kiss.

"And you love me."

"Yes, I do." She agreed again, deepening the kiss.

He tried to pull her back onto the bed but she held her ground. "But that doesn't mean I'm staying."

"I haven't seen you in three days." He begged, trying to pull the dimple card again.

"Uh uh…that only works once per day."

"Now we both know that's not true." He disputed, the dimples firmly planted in his cheeks. "Do I have to remind you of the first time you stayed over? I happen to remember the dimples…among other things…working their magic a few times that night."

Andy blushed as he continued to mutter something about chocolate cake and energy, and she was reminded of that day almost one year ago. Sam and Andy had been together ever since that first fateful night of Rookie Poker…well technically the one right after.

"Come on, Andy. You were gone to that stupid training for three whole days."

"Yes, and you've known about it and poker tonight for weeks."

"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"I'll try to be home early." She promised with another quick kiss before turning to the bathroom.

Sam sat up, holding onto her cover for as long as he could. Instead of pulling it away from him, she let it drop just before she got through the doorway. She giggled when she heard Sam moan and flop back onto the bed. "You better be."

He had definitely missed her the last three days. Although they didn't move in together for a couple of months after that first night, they had rarely spent over one night without seeing each other.

When they found out she had to go to Ottawa for a three day training course, he had grumbled about it for a week. She didn't know it, but he had actually asked Frank for some time off so he could go with her. His request was denied though because they would already be short staffed; all the 'rookies' were scheduled to attend. They had just gotten back right at the end of shift today.

When Chris and Dov appeared in the men's locker room, Sam had set speed records getting changed while ignoring all the taunts about whether or not they would see him at the Penny that night. He had practically dragged Andy out of the women's locker room to get home.

Andy came out of their bathroom ten minutes later wrapped only in a towel.

"Are you trying to kill me here?"

Andy giggled. "I'm sorry, but someone distracted me and I forgot to take my clothes in with me. Don't worry; I'll go back in there to get dressed so you won't have to suffer any more."

"I don't think so. If you're going to spend another night away from me, the least you can do is show me what I'm missing."

"Didn't we just cover that? Or should I say uncover that…"

He grinned. "I have a short memory."

"Sam." She warned.

"You can't blame a guy for trying."

"No, I can't, and I missed you too."

And because she missed him, and because she was spending another night away, she decided to grant him his wish. After pulling her clothes out of the drawers, she let the towel fall to the floor and blushed as Sam let out a low wolf whistle. She could feel his eyes on her as she took her time with each article of clothing; he was definitely getting his show. But in doing so, she had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand as she felt him following her every move. She had to force herself not to look up until she was fully dressed; she knew that if she did, he wouldn't be 'missing' anything.

When Andy finally met his gaze, it took every ounce of her willpower to walk past him to the bathroom to put on her makeup. She was really starting to regret that they had scheduled poker today too.

It took Sam a few moments to recover. "Remind me again why we don't have our games on the same night?" He wondered as he pulled on his boxer briefs and settled with his back up against the headboard.

Andy peeked out from the bathroom to answer. "Because having all of us hung over on the same day is not a good idea. There'd be no one to drive the squad cars."

"Fine…But you do realize that it's no fun when I stay home and you get to go out." It wasn't that long ago that he was content to stay home alone, but that was before Andy. He had gotten very used to her company and the house now felt empty when she was gone.

"Then go to the Penny." She suggested from her place at the mirror.

"Oliver is at home and Jerry is watching Leo for Traci." Sam complained. "…Stay."

"Sam."

"Come on Andy. I'll make it worth your while."

"Tempting." She admitted, getting his hopes up before quickly dashing them. "…but no."

"What am I supposed to do? I've already had to amuse myself for two nights."

Andy couldn't help but peek out of the bathroom and smirk.

"That's not what I meant and you know it."

She laughed out loud. "I know, but what I also know is that you went over to the Shaw's for supper the first day I was gone and stayed to watch a ball game. And last night you had pizza with Jerry and Leo before you guys took Leo to the movies. And tonight...well you already had your fun."

Sam grinned back at her; he was caught and that argument was not going to wash. "Don't you mean **we** had **our** fun? Besides I still have nothing to do for the rest of the night and everyone else is busy."

"I can't help that you're bored but you know the other reason we can't play on the same nights is because then Noelle would have to choose. "

Not long after that first rookie poker game, there had been an opening with Sam's group and they had asked Noelle to fill the spot. She had happily agreed, but when she also found out that the rookies were keeping their game alive, she decided to stay with them as well. After the whole strip poker charade, she just couldn't see giving it up. She had had too much fun and knew she would be missing out if she left.

Actually the other TO's were a little upset about missing out too, but they wouldn't admit it. Actions speak louder than words though.

_Flashback_

_When the rookies had decided on a monthly game, they invited the senior officers to come the next couple of times hoping for a little more help as they learned the ins and outs of the game. It didn't take a lot of prompting to get them to come, especially with Jerry and Sam. But even Oliver had to admit that the first time had been a blast. _

_As they came up on their fourth month, the senior officer's asked what night they should be available when they were told that the 'rookies' were ready to fly solo. The TO's though, had trouble letting go. _

_By that time, Andy had already moved in with Sam and so he was fully aware of what night she would be playing. When he told the other two, they all decided to show up anyway. All the 'rookies' and Noelle could do was laugh. _

_They ended up letting the three men stay allowing them to play rather than teach; the group thought it would be a good test of their skills to play against the big boys. At the end of the evening, the TO's were told in no uncertain terms that they were not to show up next time. Andy was pretty sure she knew who the instigator had been so she made sure to single Sam out with a pointed look. _

_End Flashback_

"Just let me come too; it'll be like old times. I'll help you."

"Do I need to remind you that I did pretty good the night you needed a last minute spare at our house." A few months ago, one of their regular players had called just before the game was about to start and couldn't make it. Andy was staying home anyway so they had her fill in for him; she received a lot of compliments that night not only on her play but on how much better the food was from the last time they had the game at Sam's place.

"Fine, so you don't need the help; just let me come and play. What's one more?"

"That reminds me; did you find someone to take Stevens' place?" One of their regulars had transferred to headquarters and so Sam's group was looking for a replacement.

"Epstein said he might, but Peck won't let Diaz play twice a month and he won't give up your night."

Andy grinned as she exited the bathroom, hair and makeup ready to go.

They had all really enjoyed having their own game and they could see now what the attraction had been to the infamous Poker Night. They'd even added a few new officers to their group; mostly men as Dov and Chris had complained about being outnumbered."

"What about…"

Sam grumbled. "Don't bother with a guess. Pretty much everyone has turned us down."

"Really." Andy was surprised; they had never had a shortage of eager participants before.

"Yeah…"

She could tell by the tone of his voice that there was more. She lowered her chin and raised her eyebrows waiting for him to finish.

"They heard that Phillips might be transferring too so now they're all waiting to find out if they get asked by you guys first." He revealed.

Many of the interested officers had been invited to both groups as spares and the consensus was that most enjoyed the 'rookie' one more - better food, lower stakes, and definitely more relaxed.

"No way." Andy grinned.

"That's what they said." He whined. "Now stop gloating."

Andy tried to reign in her smile but she still couldn't resist rubbing it in a little more. "And you know it **is** almost our anniversary."

Sam was more than aware of that, but he did his best not to let it show. He had a big surprise planned for Andy but she didn't need to know that. She shot him a confused look at his indifference; _surely he would remember that day…or at the very least the day after._ She kept pressing.

"You know…our second annual Strip Poker Showdown." She teased. They had thrown around the idea of having some kind of commemoration of that night but nothing had been decided yet.

"That new guy that just transferred in from the 12th has definitely been showing an interest." She continued, trying to get a rise out of him. "I'm sure he'd like an invite for that."

She was talking about an interest in the poker game, but Sam had been very aware of this guy's fascination and he knew it was far from just the card game that was attracting him. As always, Andy was oblivious to the guy's intentions, but Sam had made it quite clear to the man that Andy was off limits. There were too many people on the waiting list ahead of him, so Sam knew they weren't likely to invite him. But even if they did, Sam was pretty sure the guy would now be too scared to take them up on the offer.

Sam knew she was just baiting him, but he decided not to disappoint her. He stood up closing the distance between them before reaching for her hand and turning her towards him. "You had better be kidding…because there's only one guy around the division who gets to see you take off anything."

"And that is…"

"You're looking at him." He replied, pulling her in close and attacking her with his lips.

When he finally let her go, Sam had to chuckle. It was more than obvious that it wouldn't take much to get her to stay, but he knew her friends were counting on her. "Call if you need a ride home." He insisted before giving her one more kiss and walking her to the door.

Andy left the house with another promise to Sam that she would be back as early as she could. If she lost out, she swore that she wouldn't even wait to see who won. He didn't hold his breath though; she had gotten very good over the last year and could definitely hold her own even with his group.

The minute the door closed, Sam returned to the bedroom and pulled a shopping bag from the back of the closet. Not only would it be the anniversary of their first Poker Night, but the day following would be the anniversary of Sam and Andy's first 'date', though that didn't even begin to describe the significance of that day for them. It had been so much more than that; there were a lot of firsts that happened that night and it was the start of…everything.

Sam pulled the contents out of the bag and proceeded to wrap a beautiful, new set of lingerie that was definitely not run of the mill. Sam had big plans for their anniversary, and Andy was going to need something fit for the occasion.

He reached into his top drawer and pulled out a small velvet box that he had hidden in there a couple of weeks ago. He lifted the lid to admire the ring that he could clearly see adorning her finger 'as long as they both shall live'.

So far that one day had been the most important one of their lives. And although Andy didn't know it yet, it was about to get even more special.

* * *

><p>A.N. Another one bites the dust. I hope you liked it. Please let me know.<p> 


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